toy_islandsfandomcom-20200215-history
Politics of the Teddy Bear Republic Empire
'''Politics of the Teddy Bear Republic Empire (TBRE) '''takes place within the framework of a unitary constitutional republic, with the Elder-General as its head of state and the President-Minister as the head of government. The Constitution of the TBRE is the supreme law of the land. It outlines the TBRE's system of governance and affirms the basic rights and freedoms of its citizens. The application of the Constitution and other laws falls under the purview of an independent judiciary. The highest national court is the Supreme Court. Executive power is exercised by the National Government on behalf of the Elder-General, led by the President-Minister and the Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in the government and the tricameral Congress of the TBRE. Since the President-Minister is elected separately from the legislature after fixed terms, and the Cabinet is not responsible to Congress, the TBRE has been often described as a presidential republic. However, a complex relationship exists between the National Government and the legislature, whereby they have theoretically independent areas of responsibility but still work closely together in similar matters, akin to the political systems in other Laltofian states. This is seen in the Elder Council, a body of advisers that assists the Elder-General, and aims to allow members of all branches of government to work together. These executive and legislative powers are also delegated to provincial governments and local authorities. The TBRE is also responsible for a number of dependencies, namely the Overseas Territories and the protectorate of the Republic of Valreșia, which are each run by largely autonomous local governments and are considered to be outside of "Home Territory". Moreover, as a member of the Barbergen Community and Alliance of Toy Islands, some executive and legislative powers have also been conferred to these international organisations. The powers vested in the government is kept in check by the Independent Commission, which audits the government, serves as the ombudsmen and runs regular elections to public offices. The TBRE has a strong multi-party system, although traditionally two political parties have taken lead: the center-left Teddy Social Democrats and the center-right Baren Party. Recently, the Teddy Social Democrats have been displaced by the centerist Teddy National Liberals, and the last three President-Ministers have been sponsored by this party. The nature of the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government means that coalition governments are not necessary. However, they have occured in the past, mostly notably with the unity government during the Second World War and the 2002 Palchensky National Liberal-Social Democrat Government. The current TBRE political system has its origins in the TBRE's predescessor, the Federation of Bear States. History Background Federation of Bear States First Republic Second Republic The Second Republic furthered the idea of checks and balances. Split up the role. The Labour-Worker Party also reformed the upper house and local government. Constitution The Constitution of the TBRE is the supreme law of the land. It details the system of government and its limits, and the rights and freedoms of its citizens. The preamble and first few articles of the Constitution is also taken to be the founding and guiding principles of the TBRE. Other documents have constitutional status, an issue that is reflected in the Constitution proper itself. These include the treaties of Toylando and Polus, which founded the TBRE's predecessor, the Federation of Bear States, and allowed for the future creation of the TBRE. Several treaties also have constitutional status, such as the Treaty of Barbergen that founded the Barbergen Community. Laws that are deemed unconstitutional can be referred back to the legislature for amendment by the courts after review. The Supreme Court of the TBRE has adhered to the principle of the "living tree", whereby the Constitution is interpreted according to the values of the day, this interpretation does not apply to the preamble, however, given its status as a body of principles. The Constitution has special mechanisms to be amended. The amendment must be passed by two consecutive cross sittings of the legislature, reviewed by the judiciary, approved by the Cabinet, and passed in a referendum to the Teddy electorate. Sapiency Sapiency is a key concept in Laltofian law, generally taken to mean that an organism is able to make a conscious judgement and be aware of doing so. It diffrentiates between normal animals and Laltofians, who are sapient creatures akin to humans but resemble their animal counterparts. The Constitution of the TBRE recognises as persons all sapient creatures, and so guarantees basic rights to all sapient beings regardless of citizenship. Citizenship TBRE citizenship and immigration law is considered to be quite open. A distinction is made between "residentship", where one may reside and work in the TBRE, and "citizenship," with further rights and responsibility. Citizenship is generally gained through birth in the TBRE under the principle of jus soli, being a child of at least one TBRE citizen, naturalisation after 5 years as a resident, or by virtue of being a teddy bear. TBRE citizens enjoy the right to hold all public offices, apply freely for all types of employment, and enjoy full consular protection overseas. One significant controversial barrier to those intending to become naturalised citizens is compulsory national service, regardless of age (up until 40). Dual citizenship is permitted. As a member of the Barbergen Community, TBRE citizens are automatically considered Barbergen citizens. Head of State The Elder-General is the head of state of the TBRE and serves as the embodiment of the people of the TBRE. Although theoretically they are vested with executive power, in reality they only exercise ceremonial and reserve powers. These include signing laws and treaties that have been approved by the legislature and executive, formally accrediting diplomats to foreign states, and appointing as President-Minister the winner of an election, who then leads the National Government in their name. Elder-General candidates are selected by a cross committee of Congress, then presented to the national and provincial legislatures, as well as the electorate in a referendum. The Elder-General is assisted by the Elder-General's Chief Council, composed of advisers to the Elder-General that aid them in exercising their constitutional duties, although functionally it serves to be a forum for discussion between members of different branches of government. Executive The executive branch of government is responsible for administering the government on a day to day basis, forming overall policy and regulations, and carries out laws as determined by the legislature. National Government Executive power is vested in the Elder-General, who delegates the task to the National Government as dicated by the Constitution. The National Government is led by a Cabinet composed of government ministers, who are either politicians, technocrats or former senior servants. The Cabinet is formed and led by the President-Minister, who is directly elected by the electorate for regular three year terms. Note that "government" in this sense of the term refers to the National Government, and not the administration who is leading the Government at the time (e.g. the Tobruina Government). Each government minister is generally responsible for a government ministry, unless they are without portfoilio in which case they act in an advisory position at the discretion of the President-Minister. They are advised by a Permanant Secretary, who is the senior civil servant in the ministry, often with years of experience in the ministry. Although they do not require the legislature's confidence in theory, government ministers also work closely with the relevant legislative oversight bodies, a distinction that makes the TBRE neither a parliamentary nor presidential system. For instance, the Minister of Finance will collaborate with the Joint Committee on Revenue. The National Government is aided in its tasks by the Chancellery, chaired by a Lord Chancellor. It organises the creation of ad hoc agencies, ensures the government is running efficiently, and communicates with the provincial and local governments for the National Government. Provincial Government The National Government may also choose to delegate executive powers to the provincial governments, referred to as Executives, in local matters such as infrastructure and provision of healthcare services. Like the National Government, the Executive is led by a First Minister, leading an administration of provincial ministers. Unlike the National Government, Executives must hold the confidence of the provincial legislature. If they fail a confidence motion, a sucessor must have already been determined before they are replaced. Provincial governments are funded by the National Government, and levy no taxes of their own. The provincial executives are as follows: *The Nordican Executive, led by First Minister, supported by the Baren Party. *The Toylando Provincial Executive, led by First Minister with a coalition between provincial Liberals and the Social Democrats. *The Grenatian Executive, led by First Minister, with a coalition between the Social Democrats, Labour-Worker Party, and the Greens. *The Nordwerbaren Executive, led by First Minister, with a coalition between provincial Liberals and the Social Democrats. Details about local and dependency governments are written about below. Legislature The tricameral legislative branch is known collectively as the Congress. It makes, amends and repeals laws, determines the government's budget, leads inquiries and oversees government actions. It is aided in its administrative duties by the Congressional Secretariat. Members generally sit in either Joint Committees (made up of members of the senior and lower chamber) or Cross Committee (made up of members of all three chambers) to consider bills and issues. Council of Sages The Council of Sages is a 16 member nonpartisan quasi-judicial academic council. The members of the Council, who represent different academic fields including Laltofian Studies and Philosophy, are nominated and voted upon by academic peers in their department across all universities for 8-year terms. It is led by the Chief Sage of the Council. The Council leads a generally advisory position in the legislature, and most legislation does not require a vote by the Council unless one of the chambers requests it. However, matters such as changes to the constitution must be reviewed by the Council of Sages. Chamber of Clan Seniors The Chamber of Clan Seniors, commonly refered to as the Senclan, is the senior chamber of the legislature. It is composed of 220 nonpartisan members who fall into three different categories based on their selection method and representative body. Members are generally expected to be model citizens with outstanding public and community service. *80 members are elected via a legislature. Each of the four provincial Assemblies and the national Chamber of Representatives appoint 16 members to represent their province or the TBRE as a whole, respectively. They are referred to as by Seniority Senior (Name) for / TBRE. *A further 114 members are elected by their respective region. Of this number, 3 are elected by the Overseas Territories, 2 are elected by citizens living abroad, 1 is elected by Refugia and 1 from the capital. The remaining 107 are elected by each canton / region. They are referred to as Senior (Name) for Region. *The remaining 26 members represent special interest groups, including Laltofian organisations, the labour workforce, and the universities. They are referred to as Senior (Name) for Body *A supernumerary non-voting representative from the Protectorate Republic of Valreșia also sits in the Senclan, as do representatives from the Laltofian Commonwealth and the Barbergen Community. The former is allowed to speak before the chamber but not vote like a normal member, and the latter are only allowed to speak at the discretion of the President. The Senclan is chaired by the President of the Senclan. Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives is the lower chamber of the legislature, made up of 250 partisan members who are elected by the Teddy electorate using the mixed-member proportional system. The current composition is detailed in the section on "Parties with National Representation." There are currently no underhang or overhang seats. It is chaired by the Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives. Provincial Legislatures Following reforms enacted by the DeBarez Labour-Party Government, legislative power may also be delegated to provincial legislatures, known commonly as Assemblies, although their real names reflect their pre-Federation legislative names. They are all unicameral bodies. Judiciary The judiciary of the TBRE is responsible for upholding the laws of the TBRE, and is independent from the intermingled executive and legislative branches when executing its normal duties. In Home Territory, the highest national court is the Supreme Court of the TBRE which takes cases of national or constitutional importance. The Supreme Court also serves as the final court of appeal for the Overseas Territories. West Valreșia, a dependency of the TBRE, used to have the Supreme Court as its highest court, but this role has since been repatriated to the Valreșian High Court of Justice. Judges to the Supreme Court are appointed by an independent committee formed from leading jurists, members of the bar, and the legislature. Public Sector The Civil Service is the bureacracy that serves the state of the TBRE, and forms an important part of the government by giving it impartial, professional advice and support in executing laws and policies. They include those employed . Civil servants enjoy . Military and police officers are not usually considered civil servants, but enjoy the same benefits. Workers in state-owned or state-funded institutions are generally not considered civil servants. Political Parties and Groups The TBRE is a multi-party system. The following are national political parties (those recognised by the Independent Commission to stand in national elections) in order of representation in the Chamber of Representatives. National political parties generally stand as themselves in provincial elections as well, the exception being the Teddy National Liberals, who are only affiliated with their provincial counterparts. National Parties with Representation *The Teddy National Liberals are a center to center-left social liberal party, currently possessing 119 seats of available seats in the lower chamber. They are led by Kelly Tobruina, the incumbent President-Minister. *The Baren Party are a center-right conservative party that holds 78 seats of available seats in the Chamber of Representatives. They are led by Mahon Medvedev, and are the oldest party in the TBRE with a history that goes back before the foundation of the Republic. *The Teddy Social Democrats are a center-left social democratic party that holds 25 seats of available seats in the lower chamber. Currently led by Byorn Nordverbe, they are the traditional opposition to the Baren Party, and have had the most President-Ministers in office of all the parties. *The Teddy Greens are a primarily environmentalist party, with 13 seats of available seats in the lower chamber. Their current leader is Elspeth Ashmay, and are a relative new party having been founded in the 1990s as a splinter group of the Teddy Social Democrats. *The Teddy Labour-Worker Party are a democratic socialist party, with 10 seats of available seats in the Chamber of Representatives. The Labour-Worker Party traditionally represents the trade unions, and they are currently led by Ubare Van Novus. Party candidates have held the position of President-Minister once. *The Pan-Laltofian Bloc for Teddy Nations is a federalist coalition between the Pan-Laltofians and the Bloc for Teddy Nations, advocating for a federal style of government and greater Laltofian integration. They currently hold 4 seats (1.6% of available seats) in the lower chamber, and are led by Arthur Fortin. *The Party for a Teddy Homeland is a ultra-nationalist party led by Herbert Burin. It currently holds 1 seat (0.4% of available seats) in the lower chamber. It was recognised by the Electoral Board in 2005. National Parties without Representation *The United Left Alliance is the only registered communist party in the TBRE, and are currently led by Alan Dresanya. They are one of the oldest national parties that have not had consistent seats in the Chamber of Representatives, and are seen to split the vote with the Labour-Worker Party. *The Toyland Conservatives-Progressives is a conservative and corporatist party, founded and led by Gwen Leyer since early 2008. *The Pacific Unity Party is a left regionalist party, advocating closer relations between all countries in the Toy Islands regardless of political situation. It was founded and currently led by Leon Rollerdre, who also created its predecessor, the Society of Regional Harmony. Pressure Groups A number of political organisations do not have party status, but still play a part in policy-making by virtue of their large membership or specialised area of expertise. These include think tanks, the trade unions, and industry leaders. At times, Congress may call upon them to act as witnesses when debating a particular bill at their descetion, alternatively, these groups voice their opinions through their special interest representative in the Senclan. Policy and Issues Social Policy The TBRE has always been considered a socially liberal country, with gay marriage, abortion and the consumption of certain soft drugs having been legalised. The social debate has instead mostly centered on the question of national identity: whether the TBRE should be a Laltofian, Teddy state and assert this identity more strongly, or whether it should be one embracing multiculturalism and change, since it has always been one of the most “Westernised” states in the region. It is a discourse that has permeated into debates concerning immigration law (which have so far been very relaxed), the degree of separation between church and state (including the public funding of Laltofian religious groups), and the education system (such as the study of modern foreign languages). Economic Policy Economically, the TBRE is now recognised to be a Nordic-esque state, with a strong market economy and social welfare net, although traditionally in the past there was significant state control. Even now, there are close relations between management and organised labour. A high trade surplus has meant that the TBRE generally advocates free trade among its allies, and is a member of a regional customs union. The TBRE’s national currency is the Tolar T$. The TBRE’s main industries are that of science, technology, education and research, although traditional industries such as shipping, fishing and logging still contribute a major part. As such, it has a highly skilled labour force, who also have significant access to technology. Key issues regarding the economy mainly center around the issue of globalisation, and the privatisation and deregulation of industry, with the airline industry and utility providers being a few examples. Foreign Policy Historically, regional security has been a concern, with the TBRE defending its sovereignty and preserving regional stability with its politically diverse neighbors. This is reflected in the organisation of its Armed Forces, whose standing branches are now geared towards rapid expeditionary deployment in regional hot spots, while its reserve forces are designed to defend national sovereignty in conjunction with allied forces. The TBRE is also a significant investor in developing markets, and has donated generously to humanitarian causes. Foreign Relations International Organisations The TBRE has always been a strong proponent of multilateral action, seen in its membership in many international organisations, notably the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the International Union of Equality and Freedom, and the International Criminal Police and Peackeeping Organisation. Additionally, the TBRE is a member of and helped found the Barbergen Community, a regional socio-economic and defense union founded on the basis of democratic principles and sapient rights. It is also a member of the Alliance of Toy Islands. Elections The TBRE uses a number of voting methods in its elections: *Mixed member proportional are Referendum Independent Commission Bernard Administrative Divisions Home Territory. Cantons Local Government tory, Cities, Cantons Dependency Category:TBRE Category:Politics of the TBRE